A Simple Way to Cook Monks Beard

Monks Beard is a rarely seen green. It's from Tuscany and has a very short season (late Jan - early Feb) and it's only around for about 5 weeks. Blink and it's gone.

Sure, like all rare things, it's expensive. But you'll likely only be able get your hands on one bunch a year anyway – so you might regret not 'getting it while you can'. I found the beautiful bunch in my local 'Natoora' in Chiswick, a gorgeous green-grocers who only sell the best produce from expert growers in the UK, France and Italy.

It looks like the spiky kind of grass that grows at the beach and it kind of tastes like a very delicate spinach.

When it comes to cooking there are limited recipes on the internet so I went with the flow and had mine as part of one my favourite week-night dinners: greens and eggs on toast.

I washed my monks beard (very hairy) and steamed it in a frying pan – (I say steamed, I put it in a pan over a low heat with the aforementioned washing water, lid on). Seasoned. And that was it.

I toasted my sourdough bread (home-made, more on this another time), rubbed a garlic glove over it, trickled over some olive oil over the toasty, garlic-y bread, topped with monks beard and crowned it all with a couple of poached eggs. What a handsome week-night dinner.

Julia Child's Egg Poaching 
The egg poaching, I have recently been experimenting with Julia Child's method. You boil the eggs in their shells for about 10 seconds, then remove them from the water, turn the boil down to a simmer, then crack the eggs into the water and cook for about 3 minutes. Sometimes the eggs aren't perfect, but it's the most consistent egg-poaching method I have found.
NB: those smart men, the Hairy Bikers do it this way too (read about it The Hairy Bikers' Meat Feasts)

Beautiful Monks Beard from Natoora - so pretty.

Eggs and Greens, the perfect week-night supper

The bountiful crop in situ at Natoora

A Big Fat Frittata

Remember a few years back there was an advertising campaign for eggs? The slogan was 'eggs: fast food and good for you', I remember thinking 'yeah, who doesn't know that', but in reality, I often forget that if I'm short on inspiration, time or energy then a frittata makes for a immensely satisfying supper. This one in particular, taken to delicious heights with chilli and chorizo.

What you need:

A little olive oil (for frying)

Around 100g (or more) chorizo

1 garlic clove (pressed)

1 green chilli finely sliced (seeds removed)

4 Eggs

1 handful of parsley

Salt and pepper

100g (or there abouts) strong grated cheddar

What you do:

Cut the chorizo into rounds and fry in the olive oil until it releases it's own orange juice oils. Add the garlic and fry it for a little bit. Add the chilli for mere moments to suck up some juice.

Break the eggs and whisk them in a bowl and season with the salt and pepper, and add most of the parsley, (keep a little parsley back for a pretty garnish). Tip into the pan with the chorizo and give it a jiggle. Put the grated cheese on top and cook the frittata away until it starts to set. Then move it to the grill and continue cooking. Transfer to a plate and top with the remaining parsley. Eat with bread and butter, maybe.

Buttery Bulgur Wheat with Almonds

Such a simple dish which is great for a lunch time when you want nourishment without being weighted down. Perfect for a Monday lunch after a weekend of excess..

Ingredients (for one)
one spilling handful of bulgur wheat
one sizable knob of butter
salt & pepper
one good handful of flaked almonds

To cook:
Cook the bulgur wheat according to the pack instructions, which usually involves covering with water and bringing to the boil and simmering for about 8 - 10 minutes, or until all of the water has been absorbed..
Separate the grains with a fork and season, add the butter and stir through. Set aside for 5 minutes and allow the butter to soak in.
Add your flaked almonds and eat greedily from a large bowl.

Nigels Lentil Stew for a Wet Day

This is a great dish for a chilly autumn day and is especially great for cheering you up when it's wet outside and the crisp autumn leaves are turning to mulch. This is a good cure for extreme tiredness as the spices and bacon are likely to warm you back to rights.

Ingredients: (to feed 2)
1 roughly chopped onion
1 roughly chopped carrot
2 / 3 rashers of bacon (cut into pieces)
2 spilling handfuls of lentils (any kind, but puy are great.)
500ml of stock
Chopped parsley
1/2 tsp of: smoked paprika, cinnamon, nutmeg

To Cook:
Fry the chopped onion in bacon, add the carrot and put the lid on.
Add the spices, then the lentils and stock and leave to bubble away until the lentils are cooked, which should take about 30mins.
Add some of the parsley towards the end of cooking and sprinkle the rest on top when you serve.

Easy Pea and Potato Soup

I am a big soup eater - when I was at University (back in the good old days..) I made soup all the time. It may have been because at some point someone bought a hand-held blender and I just wanted to render everything put before me into a paste..

But soups are so comforting - both to eat, and to prepare. This one is so basic and easy that it only takes 15 minutes or so to make;

All it consists of it:

a couple of handfuls of new potatoes, chopped

2 x shallots

1 bunch of fresh parsley, also to chop

2 x leeks, chopped

1 x tub fresh stock - in this case vegetable, but I love to use chicken too/ if you don't have any available use Bouillon stock powder

a couple of cupfuls of peas

Simply dice all of your vegetables - heat some butter in a pan and add the shallots, along with the leeks; in the meantime boil your new potatoes. When they're done, throw them in with the rest of the veg and let it fry gently for about ten minutes until golden. At this point you should be ready to add the stock and peas, and garnish with the parsley; you could blend it or have it as I did, as a sort of broth - accompanied by a cheese toastie! The perfect lunch for a foul Autumnal day.

For the Ultimate Munchies: Tuna Mayonnaise Sandwiches

I experienced one of those absolutely crushing hangovers this weekend: an almighty headache, accompanied by a nausea that I couldn't shake until about 3pm. It's funny how, in my experience, I go from barely being able to hold a cup of tea down to being ravenously hungry. But when you do get beyond the point of just wanting to curl up in a whimpering ball in bed - and you can actually look forward to the idea of food - then this tuna mayonnaise is just the thing.

I usually make a huge batch with the idea of having it as a sandwich filler for the next few days - but I usually end up gorging on it in front of the telly..

Ingredients:

1 x tin tuna (in salt water, preferably)

1 x large tin of sweetcorn

about 5 decent sized tablespoons of yoghurt (or half a tub)

1 tablespoon of mayonnaise

Juice of 1 lemon, plus zest

1 x large bunch of parsley, chopped

2 spring onions, diced

generous handful of sea salt and pepper

I usually alternate ingredients - a handful of chopped capers goes wonderfully, and likewise using different herbs like mint makes it really tasty. Celery is also a delicious stand-in if you don't have sweetcorn!

Simply combine the ingredients and pile generously onto a good, thick bit of bread - and enjoy with a cup of tea to relieve yourself of hangover hell!

P.S for said hangover hell, I strongly recommend ibuprofen instead of paracetamol - and once you feel like you won't be sick (again) a glass of coke helps. Something about the fizziness and the sugar I think..

Lunchtime Lentil Salad

A fairy virtuous Monday lunch - perfect after a weekend of good fun which has resulted in exhaustion. This is a nice bolstering salad which is good for days in the summer.



Ingredients:
1 spilling handful of lentils (puy are recommended.)
Olive oil (preferably chili oil)
Glugof red wine
Salt and pepper
Serrano or parma ham (or both) torn into pieces
More or less a handful of goats cheese, cut into generous chunks, (on this occasion honeyed goats cheese has been used, which is highly recommended as it is heavenly.)
Lots of chopped parsley

To cook and prepare
1.) Cook the lentils according to the packet instructions, they usually take about 20 mins of simmering.
2.) Drain the lentils and dress them with the olive oil, red wine, salt & pepper and leave on the heat to warm through for a couple on minutes.
3. ) Add the torn ham, chunks of goats cheese and parsley.
4.) Mix the whole salad together and enjoy with a glass of sparkling water.

Easy and delicious Spanish omelette

This omelette is perfect for a no-brainer, light dinner, when you can't spend very much money (or can't be bothered to hit the supermarkets). It's a nice beginning-of-the week dish, perfect after a boozy and tiring weekend; it's also absurdly easy to prepare, and looks pretty!

Ingredients (serves two, generously):

4 eggs (the fresher the better, and always free range)

About ten new potatoes, depending on size

Two or three red chillies, de-seeded (my preference)

Whatever herbs you have growing or in your fridge! In this case I used chives and parsley

Salt and pepper to season

1 white onion

To prepare, simply whisk your eggs in a bowl with a fork, add the salt, pepper and parsley. In the meantime boil your potatoes and fry your onion and red chillies (which you must remember to de-seed!). When the potatoes are soft enough to pierce with a fork, chuck them into the frying pan with the onion and leave to golden for about five minutes; now add the whisked egg, and keep on a medium heat.

I usually put the pan under a grill to cook the top of the omelette, once the base has hardened.
When it's cooked, sprinkle the rest of your chopped parsley and chives over the top, and serve with a crusty sourdough loaf, some ripe tomatoes and good cheese.

Sunny Sweet Potato and Cumin Soup

The weather has been so unseasonably dull for July in England. This bright, sunny coloured soup will make you feel a little brighter and the spicy kick may even stop you reverting to Autumnal tendencies a few months early.

Plus, sweet potatos are full of good stuff, lots of vitamin C and iron. As with most soups, it's very easy to make.

Ingredients (to create about 4 large portions.)
1 onion (chopped)
4 cloves garlic (finely sliced or crushed)
1 heaped tsp cumin
1 red chilli (a teaspoon of dried chili will also do.)
about 500g sweet potatos (peeled and quartered)
700ml chicken / vegetable stock
Olive oil

To make and cook:
1. sweat the onion in the olive oil for a few minutes over a medium heat
2. Add the garlic, chilli and cumin and fry for just a minute
3. Add the sweet potatos and coat them in the mixture - stirring all the while.
4. Pour over the stock and simmer over a low heat for at least 20mins or until the potatos are cooked through and fall part easily. (I see no problem in leaving this to simmer over a very low heat for up to an hour.)
5. Blend all of the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a good swirl of natural yogurt or sour cream and a grinding of pepper.

Springtime Pasta

I made this when I was craving something fresh-tasting and reasonably healthy; it is incredibly straightforward - just roasted peppers, onions in a tomato sauce and topped with kalamata olives and fresh chopped parsley. I always uses fusilli but of course this would be great with spagetti or whatever really...

Ingredients:

3x fresh peppers (for colour I love the orange, red and yellow ones - green peppers tend to be bitter)

1 x red onion

1 x tin of chopped tomatoes: preferably a good brand as this is such a frugal dish anyway

500g fusilli pasta (enough for three people in this case - one must allow enough for a proper gorge!)

A generous scattering of kalamata olives

Likewise fresh parsley

A dash of dried oregano

Likewise Lea and Perrins

Salt and pepper

GOOD olive oil to grill peppers and fry onion in

To prepare and cook:

Put three or four peppers on a tray with a generous amount of olive oil and place under the grill until the skins are charred enough to remove; slice into chunky slithers and put to one side. Slowly fry an onion before adding a tin of chopped tomatoes, followed by the peppers. Season with a good shake of dried oregano, sea salt and pepper. Reduce the sauce until it has thickened - add the olives and a swish of lea and perrins worchestire sauce, and finally throw on the parsley. When the pasta has cooked, drain and throw it into the sauce pan, before mixing it together; and voila!

Languid Lentils

This dish is perfect if you're feeling under the weather or a bit melancholic. It's easily to prepare as you can stand by the stove-top languidly stirring. What makes this dish so extraordinarily soothing is the dash of red wine - your spirits can't help but be lifted at the scent of hot red wine.
mmmm.
Best served with a sympathetic friend and a good loaf of bread.

Ingredients:
Lentils (Organic green lentils have been used here, the angst-y colour seems to go well - allow two spilling handfuls per person, though there are no hard and fast rules in regards to quantities here.)
1 red onion
500ml Chicken Stock
Salt & Pepper to taste
Garlic
A generous glass of red wine
A bunch of chopped coriander (optional)
Worcestershire sauce

Method:
1. Prepare the lentils according to the packet, most require a 20min soak in cold water followed by a 20min simmer on the stove.
2. Fry the onions and garlic over a low-medium heat (Chili oil is recommended for a nice kick)
3. Add the cooked lentils and chicken stock to the pan.
4. Add the red wine and Worcestershire sauce.
5. Simmer down until the liquid has reduced, you may wish to have more of a soupy mixture, which is particularly good if you are fighting an illness of some sort.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste, add the chopped coriander and serve with bread.

Borscht (beetroot and apple soup.)

Many people will probably turn their noses up at this, but it's really great; it's earthy and reminiscent of communists living on the bread line!

Besides the aforementioned ridiculous reasons, this soup is fabulous for four fantastic reasons. The first being how comfortably it would sit underneath a glittering disco ball as the hot pink colour of it screams 'drag queen' and 'party.' The second is how good it is for you, beetroots are an alleged 'superfood' so they have all sorts of anti-oxidants in them which fend of colds and sadness. The third, it's very cheap! The fourth, it screams of effort, when really it is very, very simple to prepare, boiling and blending is as strenuous as it gets.

(The quantities all ball park.- this batch made enough for three greedy girls)

2 beetroots
1 potato
1 cooking apple
1 onion
1 pint of chicken stock
A squeeze of lemon juice
Salt and pepper.

The beetroots should be peeled and boiled until they are soft. (the beetroots really ought to go in a separate pan because they create an unattractive grey scum.) They take about 30mins.

Meanwhile, the onions should be fried a little, until soft. Then, all of the ingredients need to brought together into a lovely bubbling vat of chicken stock and cooked until the potato and apples are soft, it should take about 20mins.
Then, blend everything together and season with salt/pepper and lemon juice!


Serve with a boiled egg, sliced on the top. It's seriously good.
Apparently, a good slug of vodka gives this soup a lovely clear taste, perfect for a party perhaps.. boozy soup. Can that really be a bad thing?
For a summer version, omit the potato and add fresh dill.

Leftovers Salad

This is a delicious 'Summer salad' which can be rustled up from things you have in the fridge that need using up.. this particular version is a Greek-style salad with feta cheese, peppers, beans, olives and herbs. Finish it off with a lemony, garlicky dressing and a generous chunk of hot bread. This is the kind of thing you want after a total blowout meal and toooo much alcohol. I like the idea of really hearty, healthy stuff when I'm looking slightly anaemic and bloated...

Anyway all you need to do is, simply, throw a few handfuls of fresh, crunchy runner beans in a bowl with thinly sliced peppers, cubes of feta cheese, kalamata olives (preferably), whatever herbs you happen to have (in this instance marjoram, mint, parsley but use whatever) and a dressing made from crushed garlic, olive oil and lemon juice with salt and pepper. It's sooo good (and healthy).